General Election Housing Rights Coalition selects Kim Hyun-ah, Kim Seok-ki, Lee Jong-gu, Park Sung-joong for 'Reverse Run Award'

Published 31 Mar.2020 10:32(KST)

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Cheol-eung] The General Election Housing Rights Coalition, composed of civic groups including People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, selected four members of the United Future Party?Lee Jong-gu, Park Seong-jung, Kim Hyun-ah, and Kim Seok-ki?as recipients of the "Housing Rights Regression Award." They were categorized respectively as 'Tax Cuts for the Wealthy,' 'Speculation Promotion,' 'Anti-Tenant,' and 'Other.'

The General Election Housing Rights Coalition proposed to voters to "judge housing inequality and vote for housing rights," selecting 12 candidates (8 excluding duplicates) deemed as "housing rights regression candidates," and announced on the 31st the four judged to have the most severe regression. The coalition includes 76 organizations such as People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, local housing welfare centers, the Minbyun Civil Economy Committee, the Yongsan Truth Commission, Seoul YMCA, the National Federation of Demolished Residents, the Jogye Order Social Labor Committee, and the National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK) Justice and Peace Committee.

In the 'Tax Cuts for the Wealthy' category, four candidates were selected, including Kim Hyun-ah and fellow United Future Party members Na Kyung-won and Lee Jong-gu, as well as Choi Jae-sung from the Democratic Party of Korea. They were criticized for "blocking the strengthening of tax burdens on owners of high-priced homes and actively defending economic interests." Among them, Kim Hyun-ah proposed a bill to reduce property tax for single-home owners and was noted for statements in media interviews such as "The feared real estate holding tax bomb due to the sharp increase in official property prices has become a reality."

For the 'Speculation Promotion' category, three United Future Party members?Park Seong-jung, Lee Jong-gu, and Lee Hye-hoon?were nominated for actively opposing reconstruction regulations. Park reportedly proposed bills to reduce or defer reconstruction charges and to nullify the private land price ceiling system. At a year-end forum, Park's remarks such as "Housing policies in advanced countries and ours are going in opposite directions. Of course, we are similar to North Korea, the Soviet Union, and China, but we are going against countries with similar free market economies" were criticized.

The 'Anti-Tenant' candidates included United Future Party members Kim Jin-tae, Kim Hyun-ah, Lee Hye-hoon, and Song Eon-seok, who proposed budget cuts for public rental housing. Among them, Kim Hyun-ah stated, "The rent increase cap system and similar measures are outdated and do not fit the current market or economic situation," and "If prices are controlled unconditionally, the quality of rental housing will deteriorate."

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The coalition also criticized Kim Seok-ki as "the person responsible for the Yongsan tragedy, where six people died due to police forced suppression," stating, "He has yet to properly apologize to the bereaved families of the Yongsan tragedy and has said things like 'The suppression operation at the time was a legitimate exercise of police authority against illegal violent acts' and 'Even if the same situation occurred now, the same decision would have to be made,' showing no remorse."